Bee-hive



(Model.)

- T. 1v1. COBB.

I BBE HIVE.

No. 375,261. Papentednec. zo, 1887.

hm? N @wi/CQ: n c] I A l 725W@ QM @15% y @Humm-L3 -UNITED STATES PATENTA OFFICEO THOMAS M. COBB, OF GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN.

BEE-HIVE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 375,261, dated December 20, 1887.

Application filed January 1S, i887. Serial No. 224.686. (Model.)

' for bee-hivesfcomposed of a series of interd part of the honey-case to another, and that may be expeditiously reversed in whole or in part, or any one section entirely'removed, if desired, whereby I remedy the great inconvenience arising from the instinct of bees to glue up every joint and crevice of their hives with bee-glue, which, with frames that fit into an outer case, is very great, and provide for the perfect filling of the cases with honey.V

'Io these ends and to such others as the iuvention may pertain the same consists in the peculiar combinations and the novel l construction, arrangement, and adaptation of parts, all as more fully hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification, Figure l is a plan of a honey-case constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a side view of the same. Fig. 3 is a similar view of one of the sections orv frames removed or detached. Fig. 4 is a detail more particularly hereinafter` referred to, and Fig. 5 is a detail.

Referring to the details of the drawings, the letter A designates the case proper, and a the detachable interchangeable sections or frames, each of which is composed of two uprights, a and a2, 'and two longitudinal strips, a3, the longitudinal strips being secured to the uprights in any suitable way. It will be noticed that the upright a is wider than the strips a, while the upright a2 is the same width as said strips a3. Each upright a2 has projecting from its outer face a staple, B, while each upright a has secured to its outer face a metal plate, C, which is provided at each end with a longitudinal slot, c, and with said ends turned or bent at an angle to the length of .said plate to form right-angled flanges c', the slots passing through said lianged ends. Instead of being placed side by side, these frames are arranged as shown in the drawings-that is, the upright a2 of one frame is placed against the inner face of the upright a of another frame, its staple passing through a slot, b, in said upright a and through the slot c in the plateO. Then the next frame is reversed--that is, the upright a thereof is placed at the end opposite the upright a of the iirst frame, or against the upright a2 thereof, the staple of the iirst frame passing through the slot in the upright a of the second frame and through the slot therein and the slot in the plate C thereon. A staple, D, is then passed vertically through the staple B, which is secured to upright a, the legs of the staple D passing upon opposite sides of the adjacent flanged ends of the two plates C, and thus securing the two `frames together. Each frame is preferably provided with a removable smaller frame or frames, E, as shown in Fig. 3, which frames serve as honeyframes, in which the bees deposit the honey. F are separators, of veneer, pasteboard, or any other suitable material, and are removably inserted between the frames, as shown. 'Ihe object of the separators is tol compel the bees to make their combs straight; but these may be omitted, if desired. The end sections, G, are provided with similar iiang'ed plates, C, or, more properly, half-plates, which are secured to the frames in the manner above described.

The longitudinal upper and lower strips a3 of the frames are cut away at their edges, as shown at g, to provide entrances to and from the frames forthe bees.

By the construction above described any one of the frames can be removed entirely, inverted, so as to bring the bottom to the top, or reversed end for end, or they can be inter- Vchanged at pleasure.

Bees are not inclined to ll out the lower parts of the frames in which they work, and hence the utility of being able to interchange or invert the frames when their work of lling them is not completed. By the construction shown and described the honey-case may be easily opened at any point of the same by removing a staple D from each end of the sec- TOO tions or frames it is desired to inspect, and when thus opened the iilled smaller frames or the larger ones, if the small ones are not used, may be removed, inverted, reversed, or replaced by empty ones, or the unfilled ones may be changed to any desired part of the case.

Lateral movement ofthe frames must be in pairs; but any frame can be inverted, top for bottom, in its place, or the whole honey-ease can be quickly inverted or reversed-that is, turned horizontally. Any two frames can be moved over any other two, four, or six, but one will not fit on the other side of its mate; but their places may be changed by changing their ends; also, il' a staple, D, connecting any two frames at one end be removed, either one of the frames can be simply swung to one side or removed by swinging it outward when the ianged ends of the plates on the opposite ends will be withdrawn from their engagement with the staple at said end, and when desired it may be replaced in a similar manner.

What I claim as new is- 1. In a honey-ease, the combination, with the frames a, provided with staples B, of the plates C, having slotted ilanged ends, and the staple D, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

2. In a honeyease, a plurality of frames, a, provided with staples B and plates C, having slotted flanged ends, the end sections, G, provided with similar plates, and the removable staples D, engaging said staples and flanged ends of the plates, substantially as and for the purpose speeilied.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

THOMAS M. COBB. \Vitnesses:

HARRY DroiinnsoN, ALEX. B. FROST. 

